An A to Z guide to choosing, storing, preparing, and cooking fresh produce and recipe ingredients.
Olga Nayashkova/iStock photoTilapia
Low in fat, versatile tilapia has a mild, sweet taste and a semifirm texture.
Season: Year-round.
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How to Choose Tilapia
Fresh tilapia is springy to the touch and smells like the ocean. It is also commonly sold frozen. All tilapia is farm raised. Although most tilapia in U.S. markets is from Latin America and Southeast Asia, farming practices there (especially in Asia) can be more damaging to the environment than those in the United States, making U.S.-raised tilapia the more eco-friendly choice. Supermarkets are required to label fresh and frozen fish with the country of origin and the method of production (wild or farmed), but this law doesn’t apply to fish markets and restaurants, so consumers must ask more questions in those places. -
How to Store Tilapia
Refrigerate fish tightly wrapped for up to 2 days. Frozen tilapia will keep well up to 3 months. -
How to Use Tilapia
Like any mild white fish, tilapia is excellent as a filling for tacos, breaded and pan-fried, or flaked and shaped into fish cakes. It is too delicate to grill.
—Jenny RosenstrachReal Simple Tilapia Recipes:
Find out what's in season in your area right now, then locate a farmers' market near you.
